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VK65.01(H)
Not to be confused with the other Panzerkampfwagen VII, the VK70.01(K). Overview The Panzerkampfwagen VII (abbreviated as PzKpfw VII), also known as the VK65.01(H) and Henschel S.W., is a German design for a heavy tank. Development On 19 January 1939 in a meeting with Wa Prüf 6, they announced that they were developing tanks weighing 30 and 65 tons with a 7,5cm main gun in the turret, and the same interior space as the Begleitwagens. Larger guns were rejected in favour for superior armour. The 65t vehicle was to have 80mm thick armour, which was sufficient protection against 5cm PzGr. The highest speed required for the VK65.01 was between 20 to 25km/h. A 10cm gun had longer range, but was less effective against bunkers. The ammunition was also longer and heavier, making it more difficult to store and load. In January 1939, Krupp was ordered to create a full scale wooden mockup of the S.W. turret with three different guns and mantlets. The 7,5cm KwK L/24 (6.8kg PzGr @ 398m/s), the 7,5cm KwK L/40 (6.8kg PzGr @ 685m/s), and the 10,5cm KwK L/20 (15kg shell @ 420m/s) had mockups. In April 1939, Krupp had finished the wooden model, and was ordered to complete a soft-steel trial turret with hydraulic traverse. At the end of June 1939, Wa Prüf 6 made the final decision not to mount the 7,5cm KwK L/40 or the 10,5cm KwK L/20, and went with the 7,5cm KwK L/24. They decided that that gun was to be mounted in a S.W. turret with seven periscopes in a traversable commander's cupola. In March 1940, the decision was made to replace the S.W. turret with the D.W. turret except with the same armour thickness. The vehicle did not fit railway profile restrictions with a single-piece hull, so Henschel designed the hull in three pieces, which was estimated would take about three weeks to reassemble the vehicle after transport by rail. On 1 September 1939, In 6 ordered Wa Prüf 6 to produce a 0-Serie of the VK65.01(H). Wa Prüf 6 awarded contracts to Krupp in February and March 1940 for the armour components for a 0-Serie of eight VK65.01(H), and for turret assembly with guns in operational order, with the first turret scheduled to be completed in August 1942. The armour hulls and turrets were to be delivered by Krupp to Henschel, who was to assemble the vehicle. After the defeat of France, Wa Prüf 6 decided that tanks weighing over 30 tons would not be useful because of bridge weight restrictions. Contracts for the production of the components ceased in August 1940, and work on the soft-steel trial turret stopped in October 1940. In mid 1941, Wa Prüf 6 reported that one soft-steel trial chassis was being completed. Work on the VK65.01(H) had completely stopped, with focus on the VK45.01(H) taking priority. Wa Prüf 6 gave Henschel permission to scrap the VK65.01(H) built components and the end of 1942. Category:Heavy Tank Category:Germany Category:Tank Category:WWII Category:WWII Tank Category:Prototype